December 27, 2015 - SOUTH AMERICA - Over 160,000 people in Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina
have fled their homes as heavy summer rains have caused three major
Latin American rivers to rise. The flooding – the worst seen in 15 years
– has taken several lives in four countries.

A heavy El Nino has caused three large Latin American rivers to swell, forcing an estimated 160,000 people to flee for their lives, according to La Nacion.

In Paraguay – the worst affected country – the major Paraguay River has risen to within just 30 centimeters of the top of its banks, and a state of emergency has been declared in the capital city of Asuncion and seven regions by President Horacio Cartes. Some 130,000 people are reported to have evacuated their homes across the country, with several killed by fallen trees. There is no official death toll available so far.

Many of those evacuated were poor families living in very basic homes in Paraguay’s riverside areas. Authorities say water levels may continue to rise in the coming days and are only expected to level off from January onward.

In Argentina, one of the largest countries in Latin America, some 20,000 people were forced to flee in the city of Concordia, where the Uruguay River has risen to 14 meters above its normal level. Local authorities say the country hasn’t seen such a disastrous El Nino in the last 5 decades, La Nacion reports.

“We are going to have a few complicated months,” Ricardo Colombi, the governor of the Corrientes region, was quoted as saying by Reuters on Sunday, after he had flown over the worst affected areas with Argentina’s cabinet chief, Marcos Pena. “Argentina has a very big lack of infrastructure,” Pena admitted.

WATCH: Widespread flooding in South America.

Almost 1,800 people in nearly 40 towns in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul were also forced to leave their homes. In Uruguay, the number of evacuees is nearing 9,000, according to the national emergencies authority, which said it expects water levels to remain at their current level for several days before falling.

This year’s “El Nino,” which sparks global climate extremes, is the most severe in more than 15 years, the UN weather agency, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said in an update earlier in November. - RT.

December 27, 2015 - ARIZONA, UNITED STATES - Four people were flown to a Tucson
hospital Saturday afternoon after the small plane they were traveling in
crashed near the Nogales International Airport.

Lt. Raoul Rodriguez of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said the initial 911 call came in from the airport at 1:47 p.m. An eyewitness said the plane appeared to be having trouble as it took off.

“It just seemed like it wasn’t gaining altitude,” he said. “It went behind some mountains … it went down and few seconds later they heard a ‘boom.’”

The crash site was approximately a half-mile from the northeast end of the runway. There were no signs of fire or explosion at the scene.

None of the four passengers was critically injured and all were conscious when rescuers arrived, though some suffered head injuries, Rodriguez said. The roof of the plane had to be cut off to extract them.

Emergency personnel attend to the victims at the crash site. Jonathan Clark.

The victims were subsequently airlifted to Banner-University Medical Center in Tucson. Rodriguez identified the pilot as Mitsuo Tamayama, 57, of Nogales, and one of the passengers as Takako Fujisawa, 67, of Patagonia. He did not have the names of the other two.

The cause of the crash was also not immediately known. Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board are scheduled to arrive at the scene Sunday, Rodriguez said.

This photograph appears to show it in flight in 2009. Mark Pasqualino

Personnel from the Sheriff's Office, U.S. Border Patrol, Patagonia Marshal's Office and Tubac, Rio Rico and Nogales Suburban fire districts were seen at the crash site Saturday.

A web search of the plane's tail number N6811V returned results showing it to be a 1971 Aerostar M20F, a single-engine, four-seat aircraft. The website NNumber.org listed it as being registered in Fairfield, Calif. - Nogales International.

December 27, 2015 - TEXAS, UNITED STATES - Eight people have been confirmed dead since a series of tornadoes ravaged north Texas. A preliminary count by weather authorities show 11 tornadoes have already hit the Dallas area, but that number is likely to grow.

Officials in Garland had first confirmed the death of five people after one tornado hit an intersection. Another three have been confirmed dead in Collin County, according to the Sherriff’s Office, as cited by CBS DFW. One infant died in Blue Ridge, and another two people in Copeville; all as a result of the storms.

The National Weather Service’s Anthony Bain said it is too early to know the extent of the damage, and more should be known about the situation in Texas after daybreak.

The exact number of people injured remains unknown. “As of right now, we are still in the search and rescue mode. We still have some homes that have been demolished and not everyone in the homes has been accounted for,” Rowlett police spokesman Detective Cruz Hernandez said, according to the AP.

Ripping through residential neighborhoods, the storms tore off roofs and uprooted trees, mangled vehicles, damaged power and gas lines, and sent debris flying along a 40-mile stretch running through Dallas from north to south.

Shelters are being set up by The Red Cross to assist those who have lost their homes.

However, the population is still not in the clear, as earlier twisters were accompanied by torrential rain and hail that could cause major flooding from north Texas to eastern Alabama.

WATCH: Deadly tornado outbreak in Texas.

The tragedy struck Texas just one day after a devastating tornado hit north-central Alabama. Both are part of a wave of tornadoes that has swept through the South and Midwest during Christmas week.

The Alabama tornado was first spotted in Birmingham and caused substantial damage, but no fatalities.

Earlier, fourteen people were reported killed, along with dozens injured, by some two dozen tornadoes and uncharacteristic torrential rains that have hit Tennessee, Indiana, and Mississippi over the past few days, the latter state bearing the brunt. - RT.

The Colima Volcano was looking lively for Christmas with eruptions on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and again today.

Yesterday's sent ash and smoke skyward to a height of 2.2 kilometers,
prompting more warnings from federal Civil Protection authorities.

Falling chunks of rock of up to 50 centimeters in diameter and ash are
the two dangers to watch for by anyone in the vicinity of the volcano.

WATCH: Massive eruptions at Colima volcano.

Civil Protection, state authorities in Jalisco and Colima and the
University of Colima maintain ongoing monitoring of the active volcano,
also known as the Volcano of Fire, to keep area residents informed of
any danger.

In the event of ash fall, they say, a damp cloth or face mask should be
used to cover the nose and mouth and the use of contact lenses should be
avoided. The eyes and throat should be kept clean with pure water.

The volcano straddles Jalisco and Colima and has been erupting regularly. - Mexico News Daily.

December 27, 2015 - BRITAIN - As many as 2,000 homes in danger of being flooded tonight after nearly a month's rain falls in 24 hours.

Emergency services are being stretched to breaking point overnight after
"unprecedented" rainfall caused severe flooding in parts of England,
Scotland and Wales, forcing thousands of people to be evacuated from
their homes.

A total of 22 severe flood warnings - meaning there is a threat to life -
have been put in place, with a further 238 less severe flood warnings
and 146 flood alerts issued.

As many as 2,000 homes are in danger of being flooded tonight,
and thousands of people are spending the night in temporary
accommodation after nearly a month's rain fell in 24 hours.

The Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency
Cobra committee this morning. Mr Cameron said he would take charge of
the response to "ensure everything is being done to help".

The Environment Secretary, Liz Truss, said: "Our priority throughout
this period continues to be protecting lives, protecting homes and
protecting businesses."

She paid tribute to emergency staff working over Christmas and
attempted to assure people affected that the Government was "doing
everything it could to help communities to recover".

The Environment Agency (EA) advised residents in Yorkshire to prepare
for further flooding today. Communities in Calderdale, Airedale, from
Skipton to Leeds, and North Yorkshire including York, Pateley Bridge and
Catterick are at risk.

"The rain has fallen on areas where the ground is already saturated and
river levels are very high," an EA spokeswoman said. "Rain continues to
fall over the Northern Pennines, with rivers responding accordingly."

Lancashire and Yorkshire were particularly badly affected but North
Wales and parts of Scotland, including the Borders and Tayside, were
also hit. In Scotland ferry sailings for the Outer Hebrides were
cancelled and services were also affected on Bute and Lewis. Whalley and
Ribchester in Lancashire were particularly badly hit, as was Todmorden
in West Yorkshire.
Flooding extended to parts of central Leeds and Manchester, as well as
neighbouring towns including Rochdale and Wigan. At least 10,000
Rochdale homes are without power after severe flooding hit the town's
main electricity supply substation, which supplies 30,000 houses.
Engineers managed to switch power to 10,000 properties following an
early warning and a further 10,000 were connected later. The power
company said extra engineers were being drafted in to reconnect the
final 10,000 blacked-out homes.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service warned people to stay away from
affected areas. A battalion of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment was
added to troops drafted in following the emergency Cobra meeting on
Christmas Day. The soldiers helped communities across the North-west
build miles of temporary flood defences.

In Wales, traffic chaos followed when flooding closed the A55 and A5
roads, with people needing to be rescued from cars. The A5 was closed
near Betws-y-Coed and the A55 at Llanfairfechan. Both roads were
expected to remain closed for 24 hours.

Coastguard teams helped evacuate people from homes near Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey, after its moat overflowed.

North Wales Police said it was dealing with "high levels" of flood-related calls.
A spokesman said it had received reports of floating cars and that some
people had to be rescued, adding: "It's chaos at the moment."

Several traditional Boxing Day sporting fixtures, including football and
racing, were called off because of flooding. It was also revealed that
85 per cent of the country's flood defences had already been deployed in
Cumbria and what remained had to be spread thinly over a wider area
stretching from the Scottish border to Yorkshire. In Cumbria, where
rainfall has smashed records, residents were bracing for more rain as
Met Office experts said the weather band would continue to move
northwards.

Floods minister Rory Stewart said rainfall levels in the flood-hit areas
were unprecedented. "We're looking at potentially a month's rainfall
coming in a day," he said. "That's falling on ground that's very
saturated. As the rain falls, the rivers respond very quickly."

WATCH: Unprecedented flooding in Britain.

The shadow Environment Secretary, Kerry McCarthy, said it was "increasingly clear that so-called 'unprecedented' weather events are here to stay".
She added: "The Government must drop its complacency over the need for
climate change adaptation. It must also invest in maintaining flood
defences, rather than cutting them as they had planned, as well as look
urgently at what else can be done to reduce flood risk in future."

The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, also called for a rethink. He
said: "Coming a single day after Christmas is utterly terrible for those
communities. The Government can and must do more to help. But part of
that response must be to look again at swingeing cuts to departments
like DCLG [Communities and Local Government] and Defra [Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs] that will be needed to help communities back on
to their feet."

An emergency review of the Government's ability to cope with flooding will now begin as soon as Parliament resumes on 5 January.

The Government is preparing for the worst - and expects the current
"weather bomb" to last into January. It will come under mounting
pressure over its 2010 decision to cut flood-defence spending.

Ministers have rushed out an announcement for emergency funding for
Cumbria and Lancashire to repair roads and rail networks damaged by the
floods. The Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said the Government
would provide £40m of emergency funding to help communities recover. - The Independent.